Ninja Monkie Bacchanal

According to the Secretary of Defense Donald “It’s Not My Fault” Rumsfeld, publicly disagreeing with the administration puts you in bed with the terrorists.  Woo-hoo!  Do I get a pin or access to the terrorist secret handshake?

Democrats chastised Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld Wednesday for questioning the historical grasp of Bush administration war critics, accusing him of engaging in “dangerous business.” Several members of Congress had been urging Rumsfeld’s resignation before he asserted to the American Legion that opponents displayed the kind of thinking that delayed military action against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

Nice.  Ann Coulter is a douchebag and should be forced to listen to Al Franken for 24 hours a day for a year.

Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter titled her August 30 syndicated column on the Rhode Island Senate race: “They Shot the Wrong Lincoln.” The headline is a reference to Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), whom she excoriated throughout the piece—calling him a “half-wit” and a “silver-spooned moron[]—while expressing her support for his challenger in the September 12 Republican primary, Stephen Laffey.

Apparently, she is prone to this sort of thing.  The link about has more of her infamous invective.  My favorite:

Coulter argued that the national debate during the Monica Lewinsky controversy should not have focused on whether former President Bill Clinton “did it,” but rather “whether to impeach or assassinate” him.

I could have sworn including the words assassinate and a president’s name was against the law:

§ 871. Threats against President and successors to the Presidency
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

This is sad.

1. "I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” –President Bush, on “Good Morning America,” Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina
2. "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them.” –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the hurricane evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 5, 2005
3. "Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” –President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005
4. "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well.” –FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005
5. "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?” –House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005
6. "We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it’s hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott’s house — he’s lost his entire house — there’s going to be a fantastic house. And I’m looking forward to sitting on the porch.” (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005
7. "Well, I think if you look at what actually happened, I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, ‘New Orleans Dodged the Bullet.’ Because if you recall, the storm moved to the east and then continued on and appeared to pass with considerable damage but nothing worse.” –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, blaming media coverage for the government’s failings, “Meet the Press,” Sept. 4, 2005
8. "What didn’t go right?’” –President Bush, as quoted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), after she urged him to fire FEMA Director Michael Brown “because of all that went wrong, of all that didn’t go right” in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort
9. "I mean, you have people who don’t heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.” –Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005
10. "You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals...many of these people, almost all of them that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold.” –CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, on New Orleans’ hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005

This is encouraging....NOT!  Follow the link and watch the video.  Scary stuff people.

Today Fox has aired multiple segments featuring pundits who claim that a U.S. military attack on Iran is both essential and imminent. Fox anchors repeatedly parrot these arguments. Watch a compilation of clips culled from the last several hours

I would like to take this moment to share an announcement.  We have a sibling!  NMB Guitar Heaven is alive and kicking and weighing at at a healthy 8 lbs.  Mommy and Baby are doing fine.  Be sure to check out our kid sister site.  It is new, but it will get big and strong soon.

I have friends how were personally touched by this disaster.  I blame the president, Congress, state and local leaders for not only the disaster’s aftermath (which was ineptitude magnified) but the creating the mess in the first place.  It is this that makes me reconsider my opposition to term limits.  Disgraceful.

President Bush bowed his head in prayer today to remember the hundreds who perished in Hurricane Katrina, a disaster that forever changed the Gulf Coast — and his presidency. Bush and his wife, Laura, lighted candles of remembrance, then slid into the front pew of the triple-spired St. Louis Cathedral, which was left virtually untouched by the fierce winds and high waters that hit the city on Aug. 29, 2005.

Also, from today’s WaPo:

Bush’s visit to Mississippi, carefully scripted by the White House, left little possibility of the president encountering much anger over the federal reconstruction efforts. After meeting with Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and other leaders for lunch, Bush toured a working-class east Biloxi neighborhood that he visited a year ago, passing empty lots and FEMA trailers along the way. Some of the same people he met last year were in a friendly audience of several dozen local residents who heard from Bush after he finished his tour Monday, a few clutching pictures of themselves being consoled by the president in the aftermath of the storm last September. One of them was Patrick Wright, 38, a delivery driver for FedEx whose house was destroyed by the storm and who is now living in a FEMA trailer.

Wright expressed satisfaction with Bush’s efforts on behalf of Mississippi, saying that while he was still waiting for federal housing money to begin rebuilding his house, he feels that the government is moving as fast as possible. “Some people say it was slow, but for the number of people affected, you expect it to be slow,” said Wright.

Hmmm...

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is “a lie” and God and the nation’s founding fathers did not intend the country be “a nation of secular laws."

OK...let me turn on the Ninja Monkie Research Machine (Patent Pending) here…

The First Amendment of the US Constitution says (and I am quoting here):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Seems pretty cut and dry to me.  Maybe I am k-nuts though. Too many nights of Captain Morgan and Diet Pepsi.  Does anyone remember Katherine Harris?  She is now a representative in the US House of Representatives, running for senator.  BUT, during the Faux-lection of 2000, she was Florida’s Secretary of State (and co-Chair of the president’s re-election campaign in Florida) who stopped the recount which led to the Supreme Court getting involved.

And for that, she earns our coveted Cockhead of the Month award!  Congratulations Rep. Harris.  Job well done.

Follow the instructions on the website.  Trust me. Very kewl.

Busy weekend here at NMB HQ.  Bought a new laptop on Friday night.  My plan of not having M$ anywhere in my house hit a snag when I tried installing Ubuntu and ran into Xserver issues.  While I could have probably fixed it, I decided that it was not worth the hassle, technologically and domestically.  So, XP Home it will stay for the time being.

Also, we are into week three of our previously unannounced boycott of all things Wal-Mart.  Why, you ask?  Because they are putting up a Supercenter three blocks from my parents house in the idyllic neighborhood I grew up in. It will be chaos to the 25 mph streets around them. 

Finally, I am playing my guitar in public for only the fourth time EVER next weekend.  My good friend is getting married on Saturday and I have the priviledge of playing at his wedding.  Spent the weekend fine-tuning the song.

Have a great week!

OMG! I am totally making these for the office.  Look out world! Chief NMB is now armed!

Ok, mine will be paper and four-pointed and not metal and six-pointed like the one above, but still…

Have you heard about this guy Rockey Vaccarella?  He “lost everything” in Hurricane Katrina and decided to pull a Cindy Sheehan and try to meet with the president.  Apparently he wanted to make sure that the federal government didn’t forgot about all of the poor folks in the Gulf Coast as we approach the one-year anniversary of the watery death we call Katrina.  Ok, so far so good.  He packs up his FEMA trailer (nice touch, btw) and drives to Washington, DC.  At first the administration says the president is too busy to meet with him.  And then suddenly, they change their mind and he meets with the president.  Prepare for the giving of his mind in pieces!

Wait…

That is not what happened.  President Bush and Mr. Vaccarella come out and have a huge fucking lovefest.  The dude endorses him for another term (!).  I am very confused.  Now we find out the guy was might have been INVITED to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  WTF?!?!?  Is this a plant?

Cya Pluto.  You are out of that most exclusive of clubs, the Planets of Our Solar System.  I feel like I hardly knew you.  We never spent much time together really.  No no no..it’s not you. It’s me.  I a just not ready for 9 planets.  I thought I was, but I was wrong.  It is just too soon for me.  Look...just leave, ok?  Let’s not make this messy and awkward.  Oh, I will need my key back.  Thanks.

Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

BTW - Yes, I realize that there are 10 people in the above picture.  Sue me.  I just “borrowed” it to make the entry title funnier.